In Stitches
by LibertyBelleAnne
Summary: Eliot gets sloppy on a job and gets wounded. Thankfully he has his team watching his back, if he'll let them. For Whumptober 2019 #11 Stitches


**Disclaimer: I don't own any bad guys who make the best good guys.**

**A/N: For Whumptober 2019 #11 Stitches**

**In Stitches**

He was outnumbered, which was nothing new. Hardison was behind him, busy hacking into the security system. Eliot couldn't hold back a grin when he heard the other man cheer and say something about it 'being the time of nerds' or something equally as stupid. Within less than a minute, Parker confirmed over comms that she secured the artifact. They were done here. Mission complete.

He got sloppy. They had so many cakewalk cases that he got complacent. He got overconfident in their abilities. His abilities. His job was to get punched and kicked. To take the hits for his crew. Hits he could take as long as the others were spared them. He forgot that fear was good. He remembered that now as his bigger opponent hovered over him with the bloodied knife. Parker and Hardison wouldn't stand a chance.

He promised to keep them safe till his dying day.

People thought he never needed anything but he did. He needed a hacker who was sometimes too smart for his own good. But always proved to be the smartest guy in the room. He needed a thief that was twenty pounds of crazy in a five-pound bag but the bravest person he'd ever meet.

"Eliot!" Hardison called in a panicked voice from behind him. With a grunt, the hitter lunged at his attacker. As they grappled for control over the knife, he felt his comm fall from his ear. The man had some serous training. His fighting style was very distinctive; he was fighting to kill. His first surprise hit with the knife was starting to take it's toll as Eliot bled like a stuck pig.

Suddenly, the lights went out. Eliot adapted quickly, throwing a hard punch to his opponents sternum. As he doubled over, Eliot geared himself up to take the next hit. But it never came as he heard the sparks of electricity and then a thump. He almost jerked away when he felt hands on him but he recognized them immediately. They would never hurt him.

"I'm fine. Let's get out of here," He commanded, brushing off their concern. He did not want to run into anymore surprises when he wasn't at one hundred percent to protect his team. With Parker on one side and Hardison on the other, they ran out of the darkened building.

In the van, he tightly held his hand against the dressing that Parker had hastily applied as they fled the scene. They drove away without a hitch. He just needed time to take care of his new wound. He took a deep breath once they parked before forcing himself to move inside on wobbly legs. He just needed to get inside so he could inspect the damage in peace; then he'd be good as new.

He glared at them from his spot on the couch. That was as far as his legs would take him before they collapsed beneath him.

Parker appeared above him as if by magic. "You know that thing you do with your eyes only works on other people."

"Yeah, not us," Hardison grinned, taking a seat on the armrest, "We know, secretly, you're just a great big teddy bear."

Eliot hit the hacker upside the head.

"Ow! A mean teddy bear. Probably has rabies or mad cow disease or something." Hardison grumbled as he rubbed his stinging head. The hacker got up and left the room, still mumbling to himself.

The hitter pulled up his shirt to inspect the wound. The cut was clean, but it was deep. Even with pressure against the bandage, it had not stopped bleeding. It needed stitches. He needed stitches, but there was no way in hell he was going to go to the hospital.

"Does that hurt?" Parker had leaned farther across the back of the couch, which she was now upside down, as her probing fingers jabbed him.

"Yeah, now stop." Eliot wrapped the wound back up, hoping it would start to clot.

"How about now?" She poked through the covering.

"Parker! Stop poking at it," Eliot growled. Her finger found another tender spot.

"You're bleeding," She stated the obvious holding up her finger that was smeared with red.

"She's poking me again," Eliot complained loudly. He just wanted to gather enough energy to make it to the bathroom. Once there he could take care of stitching it up. His head was starting to swim. He was starting to feel the effects of blood loss.

She tattled to her boyfriend, "Eliot won't let me look at it."

"Just let the woman doctor you up. Then she'll leave you alone." Hardison called from the other room. Eliot was about to argue back when nausea suddenly assaulted him. Swallowing hard, he forced his stomach contents to not make a reappearance. Squeezing his eyes shut he breathed heavily through his nose. He heard Hardison come back into the room and set something heavy on the coffee table. As soon as the nausea passed he opened his eyes to the sight of two concerned teammates.

"I'm fine," He reassured gruffly. He watched them share a look.

Parker took the first aid kit before turning back to Eliot with a critical eye, "Come on Sparky time to sew you up."

She was fast. Hardison had to leave halfway through after looking at the ceiling for most of it, claiming to go find something for dinner.

"Don't break my kitchen," Eliot growled.

"Don't worry, I get it. The knife that cooks is a knife that kills." The hacker fled.

Eliot looked at the letters stitched into his stomach and sighed in exasperated affection, "There really is something wrong with you."

"I know," She said with a grin, "And you love it."

"That I do, darling. Never change." He huffed a laugh before grunting and wrapping an arm protectively over his chest, "Don't make me laugh,"

"Hardison's stitches were so boring. I tried to ask them to do something cool, like a lighting bolt."

"Woman, they were not gonna listen to you. You just admitted to dropping me." Hardison carried a tray of steaming stew from the freezer that he nuked in the microwave.

"No, I didn't catch you. There's a difference." Parker pushed aside stuff on the coffee table to clear a spot. Hardison set it down pointedly, not looking at any of it.

"It still hurts," Hardison sniffled dramatically, plopping down into the recliner.

"No, it doesn't." Parker sounded unsure.

"Yes, it does. I need a kiss to make it feel better." Her boyfriend smiled reassuringly.

She leaned over his chair and kissed him softly, "There, all better."

"Nah, not yet," He grabbed her and proceeded to kiss her more passionately as she laughed and squirmed off his lap. Like the thief she was, she sneaked over and gave Eliot a kiss as well. A quick peck on his head, before he could protest, and then she was gone.

Hardison took in the makeshift clinic. Bloody gauze, used medical equipment and Eliot's unwrapped unique stitches. With a grimace, he pulled on some gloves before he began to pack up their mobile hospital.

"Y'all nasty. Just leaving you're blood all over. It looks like a crime scene in here." The hacker joked trying not to think about how much blood was not inside Eliot. He didn't like to think about Eliot actually getting hurt. The man was always so indestructible. So solid; nothing could keep him down for long. Seeing all that blood coming out of his friend had shaken him.

"Dammit, Hardison, I got stabbed," Eliot argued halfheartedly from the couch.

Unexpectedly, Hardison had him wrapped carefully in his arms, "Let's hug it out man," The younger man said, voice choked with emotion.

"I'm fine," Eliot said as he gave the other man a quick hug back. Just to let him know he was still there. That he wasn't going anywhere. Someone had to look out for these two.

Hardison pulled away and looked down at the wound with a chuckle, "You gotta admit, her stitches are very...distinctive."

Eliot looked down at the word "distinctive" stitched into his side and laughed.


End file.
